Queens of the Stone Age is a HardRock group from the Palm Desert Scene, formed in 1996 by guitarist Josh Homme after his previous band {{Kyuss}} disbanded. Originally titled Gamma Ray, they were forced to change their name after a threat of legal action from an [[Music/GammaRay already existing band]]. The name comes from a joke made by one of Kyuss's producers, but Homme has since given a different rationale behind it.

The group started out by releasing two split [=CDs=]: one of the leftover {{Kyuss}} tracks and another with the group Beaver. The new material on those [=CDs=] and their first official album, ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Queens of the Stone Age]]'' in 1998, showed Josh Homme slowly breaking away from the musical stylings of {{Kyuss}} and coming into his own as an independent musician. However, the group found its identity with the release of ''Rated R'' in 2000, a mellower and more varied (but none-the-less hard) mix of stoner rock, grunge/alternative, classic rock and just a touch of heavy metal (with a few unorthodox musical experiments here and there, such as the use of steel drums in one song). The band solidified their newfound sense of identity with ''Songs For the Deaf'' in 2002. Largely abandoning their Stoner Rock origins in favor of a more accessible HardRock sound, it's a critically acclaimed album with the Grammy-nominated songs "No One Knows" and "Go With the Flow" (which also found their ways into ''GuitarHero'' and ''RockBand'', respectively). It is their best selling album and the only one with platinum certification.

The group followed up with ''Lullabies to Paralyze'' in 2005 (named after a lyric from the track "Mosquito Song" from the previous album) and ''Era Vulgaris'' in 2007. While both were given good press and each had a Grammy nominated song, they were neither as successful or as highly regarded as ''Songs For the Deaf'' (although ''Lullabies'' was a top-five album while ''Songs'' was not).

Joshua's other projects and acts he's performed with include Music/EaglesOfDeathMetal, which he rarely ever performs live with, Desert Sessions, Fu Manchu, earthlings?, Music/ArcticMonkeys, Music/{{UNKLE}}, Music/LupeFiasco, and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Homme_discography#Collaborations bunch of other people]].

After a six-year break, ''...Like Clockwork'' was released on June 3rd, 2013 to massive acclaim.

Josh Homme is also part of the supergroup ThemCrookedVultures, with [[Music/FooFighters Dave Grohl]] and [[LedZeppelin John Paul Jones.]]

They now have a [[{{AwesomeMusic/QueensOfTheStoneAge}} awesome music page]].

!!This band and their music contains examples of:* AlbumTitleDrop: At the beginning of "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire," the [=DJ=] says "I need a saga. What's the saga? It's ''Songs for the Deaf.'' You can't even hear it!"** The album version of the song also contains a track hidden in the pregap called "The Real Song For The Deaf" which consists mainly of low frequencies that deaf people may be able to detect.** Interestingly, the title of "Lullabies to Paralyze" is dropped on its ''predecessor'' album.** Averted on ''...Like Clockwork,'' despite a TitleTrack.* AudienceParticipationSong: The aaah-aaah-aaahs in "Burn the Witch."* AuthorAppeal: Josh seems to have an odd thing for [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]] and references it in a lot of songs and music videos. Including, but not necessarily limited to.** "Avon"** "Leg of Lamb"** "Sick Sick Sick" (Music Video)** "Mosquito Song"** "Someone's in the wolf"** "Tension Head"** "I Never Came"** "Run Pig Run"* BingeMontage: Ultra condensed in the form of "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer"** And now there's the videoclip from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QetvK6ldl2s Smooth Sailing]], from ...Like Clockwork* BerserkButton: [[MemeticMutation Throw a bottle at Josh Homme, and he'll call you gay.]]** Moshing into women in front of Josh is also a very bad idea.** As is beating your girlfriend.* TheBigBadWolf: "Someone's In The Wolf"* BlackComedy: One of the fake radio bumpers on "Songs For The Deaf" includes a DJ slapping a crying baby.* BookEnds: "If Only" starts with the rhythm guitar, followed up by the drums, a sweet bassline, and some keys. The outro of the song ends in reverse order.** Also, the series of videos for ''...Like Clockwork'' made by British visual artist Boneface. The series started with the bandaged guy from "I Appear Missing" and closes the loop with him in "My God Is The Sun", only to find his way back from where he started. * BurnTheWitch: A song off Lullabies to Paralyze* CallBack: At the end of "The Sky is Falling," a DJ at KRDL ("We ruin music for ''everyone!''") announces that the next song he's going to play is "Millionaire" by Queens of the Stone Age, which was the first track on the album. The station is changed before the song begins again.** CallForward: "A Song For the Deaf" plays in the background of the DJ's introduction to "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire."** "Millionaire" was actually the name of the demo version of You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar... ** In "Fairweather Friends" (on ''...Like Clockwork''), as in "Walkin' on the Sidewalks" (on their debut, ''Queens of the Stone Age''), Josh uses the line "drink wine and screw." The two songs, however, use it in very different contexts[[note]]In the former song, the narrator says he'd like to escape the drudgery of daily life by doing this with his girlfriend. While, in the latter song, Josh complains that he's tired of so-called "friends" who like to "drink wine and screw women" with him but are nowhere to be found when he needs emotional support[[/note]].** "Long Slow Goodbye" references the closing track of every previous QOTSA album and foreshadows the next one:*** The rhythmic telephone beeping references "I Was a Teenage Hand Model."*** The presence of a post-song horn section references "I Think I Lost My Headache."*** The melody of the horn section is similar to the horns in "Mosquito Song."*** The melody of the horns also harmonizes with the outro of "Running Joke," the closer on some versions of ''Era Vulgaris.''** "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" references lyrics of "Regular John" and "Better Living Through Chemistry."* ChivalrousPervert: Josh Homme.* ChronologicalAlbumTitle: Very narrowly averted with "Rated R." The album was originally going to be titled "II" (being the band's second album) but was renamed "Rated R" at the last minute. This is probably a good thing, since the album sounds almost nothing like the band's debut.* ClusterFBomb: Josh Homme swears a ''lot'' when you push his buttons.** "Six Shooter" could be considered one, if you take its short one-minute length into account.* ConceptAlbum: ''Songs For the Deaf'' uses fake radio bumpers and the changing of stations as a framing device. It might also explain the heavily compressed audio, but whether it's intentional or just another victim of the LoudnessWar is unknown. Each song on the album represents a different radio station the protagonist turns to as he drives ("You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire" is the 'screamo' station, "God is in the Radio" is a religious radio station, etc).** ''Lullabies to Paralyze'' is (loosely) a concept album as well, described by Josh Homme as "starting in the darkness and reaching for the light." In this way it mirrors ''Songs For the Deaf'', which starts out relatively light but ends up incredibly dark (the final few songs are some of the band's grimmest, with the last being a disturbing tale of cannibalism).** ''...Like Clockwork'' may be a concept album as well, (seemingly) telling the story of a man recruited into an apocalyptic cult shortly before the end of the world.* CoverVersion: A cover of Music/TheKinks' "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy" appears at the end of the UK/Japan limited edition version of ''Songs For The Deaf''. At one point they even did "Who'll Be The Next In Line."** They also did "Needles in the Camel's Eye" by Music/BrianEno, "White Wedding" by Music/BillyIdol, "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love" by Music/TheCramps, "Christian Brothers" and "Needle in the Hay" by Music/ElliotSmith, "Goin Out West" by Music/TomWaits, "Never Say Never" by Music/RomeoVoid, "Petty Thug" by Music/{{Millionaire}} and "Not to Touch the Earth" by Music/TheDoors** An appearance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge saw the Queens do a cover of Music/RobinThicke's "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouMIRFibxA8 Blurred Lines,]]" of all things. Featuring [[EverythingIsAnInstrument prescription pills used as percussion.]]** They contributed a cover of "Outlaw Blues" to the 2012 BobDylan tribute album ''Chimes of Freedom.''* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Lullabies To Paralyze'' was this to some extent. It was decidedly darker and more sinister-sounding than the previous three QOTSA albums, no doubt due in part to all the turmoil surrounding Nick Oliveri's firing a year before its release.** ''Songs for the Deaf'' was considerably darker than ''Rated R'' and the SelfTitledAlbum. The overall tone is a lot more grim, with songs like "Song for the Dead," "Go With the Flow," and "God is in the Radio" having a dark, ominous sort of groove to them. There's also a song about cannibalism.** And ''Lullabies to Paralyze'' was even darker than ''Songs for the Deaf.''** The band took it UpToEleven with ''...Like Clockwork'', which is easily their darkest and most brooding album yet.* DeusEstMachina: "God Is On The Radio"* DoubleEntendre: "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" could be implying a musical hit, or one of the narcotics listed in the song.* DrivenToSuicide: The meaning of the song "How To Handle a Rope."* DrugsAreBad: Generally averted, as Homme has shades of TheHedonist and did, after all, write "Feel Good Hit of the Summer." But Oliver's severe drug problems ended up being part of what got him thrown out (the other part was his habit of beating his girlfriend), and the cause of his many legal woes, including the infamous SWAT standoff. * [[DudeLooksLikeALady Dude Sounds Like A Lady]]: Josh can hit some pretty feminine sounding high notes in songs like "I Never Came" and "In My Head" and Troy can do some feminine sounding backing vocals. ''Especially'' on and "Make it Wit Chu" and "Smooth Sailing" where his backing vocals seriously sound like a woman.* EpicRocking: "Someone's In the Wolf" (7:15), and "I Think I Lost My Headache" (8:40), along with several other songs lasting the better part of 6 minutes.** During early performances, songs on the SelfTitledAlbum were expanded drastically. Some performances of "You Can't Quit Me Baby" lasted nearly twenty minutes.* EverythingIsAnInstrument: "You Would Know" uses scissors and a telephone for percussion.** "Regular John" includes a telephone beeping rhythmically in the background.** As does "Long, Slow Goodbye."* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Josh Homme is perhaps one of the biggest RealLife causes of StupidSexyFlanders ever.* EveryEpisodeEnding: ''A Song For The Dead'' is always the final song played live.* ExploitationFilm: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgVfjXA_QY0 video]] for "3's & 7's". It captures the feel of the golden age of Seventies exploitation films quite nicely.* FadingIntoTheNextSong: Several times on ''...Like Clockwork,'' most notably the [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome incredibly awesome]] build-up at the end of "If I Had a Tail" leading into "My God is the Sun."* {{Fairy Tale}}s: A theme in ''Lullabies to Paralyze'', though it arguably first showed up in "Mosquito Song" on ''Songs for the Deaf'' (the track ''Lullabies to Paralyze'' got its name from).* HeroicBSOD: "I Appear Missing," based on Homme's near-death experience, four-month inability to walk, and depression, [[KickTheDog each of which caused the next]] during the recording of ''...Like Clockwork.''* IAmAHumanitarian: "Mosquito Song", the video for "Sick, Sick, Sick"* IAmTheBand: Josh Homme on the first album wrote all the songs along with [[Music/{{Kyuss}} Alfredo Hernandez]], and now he's the only original member left.* IndecipherableLyrics: "Sick Sick Sick" can be nigh-incomprehensible.* {{Instrumentals}}: "Lightning Song", "Hispanic Impressions", "Spiders and Vinegaroons" and "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For"* IntercourseWithYou: "Make It Wit Chu". Additionally: "Do It Again", "Skin On Skin"** "Sick Sick Sick" is extremely dirty, but hides it with IndecipherableLyrics.* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Josh Homme has been known to react violently to hecklers, and whenever he gets pissed the first thing he always says is "Hey you!"* IWillWaitForYou: "This Lullaby" * {{Keet}}: Michael, the bassist. Seriously, just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOZEJxGylsU look how hyper he is.]] Although, if you don't want to look, all you need to know is that on stage, he constantly headbangs and shakes his body like crazy all over the place.* KnuckleTattoos: Josh Homme has the name of his grandparents, Cap and Cam, tattooed on his knuckles [[http://www.celebritytattoosite.com/2010/05/josh-homme-tattoos.html]]** He now has the initials of his son, Orrin Ryder Homme, on the lower knuckles of his right hand.* LastNoteNightmare: "I Think I Lost My Headache", "Make It Wit Chu"** The album ''Songs for the Deaf.'' The final 'official' song is [[TitleTrack "Song for the Deaf"]], which features blood-curdling screams buried in the mix and lyrics about paranoia and betrayal. Then there's a few minutes of silence, and [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment then a minute-long version of "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" with the lyrics replaced with laughing.]] And ''then'' comes the unsettling, LyricalDissonance-filled bonus track "Mosquito Song," probably the most nightmarish song in the band's catalog. And [[OverlyLongGag '''THEN''']], if you bought the UK/Japan limited edition album, this is followed by a cover of "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy", a song by TheKinks.* LighterAndSofter: Arguably ''Era Vulgaris'' compared to ''Lullabies To Paralyze'', as the album was considerably more catchy and less grim-sounding (...with the exception of "Sick Sick Sick"). Also ''Rated R'' compared to the band's S/T album.** "Make It Wit Chu" in ''Era Vulgaris'' is surely not the song you'd expect from this band. It's definitely their lightest song yet.** QOTSA, in general, is this compared to [[Music/{{Kyuss}} Josh Homme's prior band]].* ListSong: "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer"* {{Lolicon}}: The protagonist of "Quick and To The Pointless."* LongTitle: "You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire.", "I Think I Lost My Headache", "How To Handle a Rope (A Lesson In The Lariat)", "The Fun Machine Took A Shit And Died".** ""You Got A Killer Scene There, Man..."", "These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For", "I Was A Teenage Hand Model"... [[TropesAreNotBad damn]]. * MeanCharacterNiceActor: Despite how fierce his music often is (and how temperamental he can sometimes be), Josh is actually known to be a very nice and friendly person in real life. * {{Metaphorgotten}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl33poJNSE4 "If you wanna fight, go to a gay bar, because I will fuck you in the ass!"]]* MinisculeRocking: "Six Shooter," which runs at 1:19 and still manages to pack in [[ClusterFBomb quite a few swear words]], along with "Quick And To The Pointless" at 1:42.* MushroomSamba: "Monsters In The Parasol" * MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Generally in the 4 to 7 range. Occasionally they'll go down to a 3 ("In The Fade") or up to a high 8 ("Tension Head", "Keep Your Eyes Peeled").** Unusually, "Make It Wit Chu" is a 2.* {{Motif}}: On the SelfTitledAlbum, multiple songs reference telephones in some way:** "Regular John" is about a man who calls numbers on bathroom stalls.** "You Would Know" features the beeping of a telephone [[EverythingIsAnInstrument mimicking the main guitar line.]]** "I was a Teenage Hand Model" includes [[{{Foreshadowing}} a phone call from Nicki Oliveri]] accepting Josh's invitation to join the band.* NobodyLovesTheBassist: Let us count [[RevolvingDoorBand all the ways this trope]] has been {{ZigZagged|Trope}}:** {{Subverted|Trope}} with the mysterious Carlo Von Sexron. Carlo played pianos, keyboards and bass on the first album and is very well known by the fandom. [[labelnote: note]]Because he's Josh Homme.[[/labelnote]]** {{Averted|Trope}} with Nick Oliveri on the next two. He is ''very'' well known throughout the fandom for things such as playing naked on stage, being a junkie, being a wife beater and getting arrested twice.** {{Averted|Trope}} again with Troy for the next next two albums. Troy has a sizable fanbase of his own, mostly for being [[SharpDressedMan neatly dressed]].** Played straight with the session bassists Van Conner and Milo Beenhakker who only showed up on [=EPs=] and Demo tapes in very early recordings.** {{Subverted|Trope}} with Michael Shuman, he has a decent size fanbase and gained a bigger one after Josh complimented his band Mini Mansions.* NonIndicativeName: They're all male, not royalty and thoroughly modern, but the ''Non-royalty Male Members of the Modern Age'' just doesn't have the same ring to it.* ObligatoryBondageSong: "Sick Sick Sick," "If I Had a Tail"* OutOfCharacterMoment: Josh performs "I Never Came" without a guitar, which makes many fans feel a tad awkward.* PrecisionFStrike: From the "My God is the Sun" video:-->THE END IS REALLY FUCKING NIGH** On the music end, "A Song For the Deaf" has the line "The blind can go get fucked..."** Subverted at the very end of "Fairweather Friends," which censors its would-be swear word with a beep. The actual album (''...Like Clockwork'') is a Double-Subversion, as the very next song, "Smooth Sailing," ends its first verse with the line "Fuckin' bon voyage!"* ThePowerOfBlood: "The Blood Is Love"* RockTrio: Let us, again, [[RevolvingDoorBand count how many times this has been the case]]:** From 1997-1998 the only three members were Josh, Nick, and Alfredo.** The only core studio members on the album ''Lullabies to Paralyze'' were Josh, Troy, and Joey.*** This was also the case with the album ''Era Vulgaris''.* ShoutOut: [[{{Radiohead}} "I want you to notice/when I'm not around"]] in "You Can't Quit Me Baby."** {{Subverted|Trope}}, with the song, "My God is the Sun." It has nothing to do with Creator/GeorgeCarlin.** "[[Music/{{Bjork}} There's no one here/And people everywhere]]"[[note]]If it doesn't ring a bell, it's the pre-chorus of "Crying"[[/note]] in "Better Living Through Chemistry". (The title itself comes from an iconic [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Living_Through_Chemistry DuPont advertising tagline]], and was even used as the title of Music/FatboySlim's second album.)* SignatureStyle: Weird tuning, odd timing on the vocals and bass, fuzzy guitars, bizarre lyrics, and unique drum fills.* SlasherSmile: ''"Beware the smile/[[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily It hides all the teeth, my dear]]"''* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The band tends to go all over the place with this, but for the most part, they lean more on the cynical side.* TheSomethingSong: "Lightning Song," "Mosquito Song," "[[LampshadeHanging Another]] Love Song."* SopranoAndGravel: "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like a Millionaire" alternates between screamed and sung vocals.* StableTimeLoop: The ...Like Clockwork videos are this. The man from I Appear Missing is killed by the man from Kalopsia, who's killed by the man from Keep Your Eyes Peeled, who's killed by the woman from If I Had a Tail, and then they're all killed again by the... [[EldritchAbomination whatever it is]] in the My God Is the Sun video. And then the man from I Appear Missing is back where he started...* TheStoner: {{Subverted|Trope}}, Josh was a stoner at one point in his life, but he quit. Though, in the early 2000s at least, it was kind of hard to believe he wasn't stoned off his ass with moments like [[http://youtu.be/sEN8X2qS8H0?t=33s this]]. * StylisticSuck: The guitars on "I'm Designer" are purposefully detuned.* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: "Smooth Sailing", in a surprisingly clean way.-->It's all in motion -->No stopping now-->I've got nothing to lose-->And only one way '''up'''** This is very clean, considering Josh Homme's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl33poJNSE4 stage manner]] and the fact that he drops the mother of all curses a mere ten seconds later-->I'm burning bridges-->I destroy the mirage-->Visions of collisions-->Fucking [[BilingualBonus bon voyage]]! * SuperGroup: The ''Songs For The Deaf'' line-up was essentially a 90's alt rock supergroup, with Josh Homme & Nick Oliveri from Kyuss, Mark Lanegan from Screaming Trees and DaveGrohl.** One could say they pretty much are one now, with band mates from many various other bands. * ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: "Song For The Deaf"* TitleByNumber: 3's and 7's* TitleTrack: "A Song for the Deaf," "Era Vulgaris," "...Like Clockwork"* VocalTagTeam: Though Josh is the lead vocalist on a majority of their songs, ''Songs for the Deaf'' has Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan each singing lead on four of the album's fourteen songs, with Mark sharing duties with Josh on "[[TitleTrack A Song for the Deaf]]".* WordSaladLyrics: At least half of their songs are comprised entirely of this, while others have snippets thrown in. In fact, Josh Homme himself has mentioned that he often writes lyrics in a deliberately vague manner so that the listener can interpret them in any way he/she chooses.----